Whenever a natural disaster occurs, the power grid is often damaged, disrupting its ability to provide energy. Climate change has exasperated the frequency of natural disasters; therefore, the reliability of the electricity network is no longer sufficient. The electricity grid must become more resilient to disasters. Here we discuss some strategies and technologies to make the power grid resilient.
The difference between reliability and resilience:
Power grid reliability is the ability to meet customer energy demands, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Reliability measures the ability of the power grid to deliver electricity with little or no interruption, consistent with the interruption ratings offered by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Standard 1366. Energy must be supplied consistently and without interruption for the grid to be considered. reliable.
Power grid resilience, on the other hand, is the ability of the system to recover and operate quickly after a disruption. Figure 1 shows the relationship between reliability and resilience, with reliability being a function of time that is no longer sufficient, due to increased disruptions caused by climate change and/or cyberattacks.
Technologies currently available to improve the resilience of the electricity grid:
Several solutions are currently available to improve the electricity network resilience. For example, renewable energy sources such as wind turbines and/or solar farms are combined with a lithium-ion battery bank to store the generated energy for storage for later use.
Public services increasingly rely on such energy storage solutions to increase resilience. There are at least ten battery storage systems associated with renewable energy generators commissioned in 2021, namely; Moss Landing, Saticoy, Top Gun, Blythe Solar II, Agua Fria, Wilmot, Bat Cave, North Fork, Gambit and Manatee.
![Relationship between reliability and resilience](https://i0.wp.com/pswordpress-production.s3.amazonaws.com/2023/01/image-1.png?resize=499%2C300&ssl=1)
![Relationship between reliability and resilience](https://i0.wp.com/pswordpress-production.s3.amazonaws.com/2023/01/image-1.png?resize=499%2C300&ssl=1)
To facilitate the increase in the use of renewable energy and increase the use of batteries as energy storage, legislation such as “H.4515: Advancing Offshore Wind and Clean Energy Act” are being adopted in Massachusetts. Connecticut and Maine are also passing legislation with the specific goal of increasing energy storage, with Connecticut setting capacity at 1,000 MW and Maine at 400 MW by 2030.
Storage systems reduce energy costs using stored energy as a backup during peak hours, when energy is most expensive. According to a study According to the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory comparing the amount of energy saved between PV and battery systems and PV alone, the combination of PV and batteries reduces demand-side charges by 42%, compared to 8%. % for photovoltaics alone.
More than 90% of all new storage capacity has been created since 2017. According to a recent report from Wood Mackenzie, the global cumulative estimate lithium ion battery capacity could be multiplied by more than 5 between 2021 and 2030, to reach 5,500 GWh.
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Another current technique to improve grid resilience is the use of advanced meters and smart devices. This involves two-way communication between utilities and consumers. Two-way communication facilitates improving network activities and operations, preventing outages, and providing energy management services. THE advanced metering infrastructure provides several key functions.
Smart meters work while keeping track of the amount and duration of electricity consumption. The collected information is then sent to the utility and the meter tracks the flow of energy to and from consumers using solar PV. State and local regulations have increased the use of smart meters, which are now installed in more than 60 million U.S. homes and businesses.
New technologies in development:
Sandia National Laboratory is developing technologies with the Harmonized Special Protection Program for Mitigation of Automatic Relays Against Intentional Harmful Events. (HARMONY-SPS), including an advanced automated network protection system. This technology will be able to identify system conditions, mitigate cyber-physical consequences, and preserve operations during anticipated and unanticipated disruptions. HARMONY-SPS will strengthen network resilience using diverse data and a machine learning algorithm capable of producing automated responses.
Packet energy delivery is another solution in development that prioritizes charging and increases power density. This technology uses an asynchronous broadband power and communication system instead of constrained AC or DC voltage, a fixed scheduled delivery system (FSDS) and a flexible time delivery system (FTDS).
With FSDS, the network manager can specify the daily size and delivery delay of each packet, and the operator's decision is made based on optimization to minimize a cost function within system limits . With FTDS, on the other hand, the customer can request immediate delivery of energy packages (see Figure 4). On-demand power delivery can be implemented using explicit routing schemes developed for Internet traffic engineering.
![How packet energy delivery works](https://i0.wp.com/pswordpress-production.s3.amazonaws.com/2023/01/How-packetized-energy-delivery-works.png?resize=402%2C177&ssl=1)
![How packet energy delivery works](https://i0.wp.com/pswordpress-production.s3.amazonaws.com/2023/01/How-packetized-energy-delivery-works.png?resize=402%2C177&ssl=1)
Virtual Power Plant (VPP) is another developing technology that could improve network resilience. VPP is a group of microgenerators, renewable energy sources, cogenerators or other energy sources connected to a control system that receives feedback from consumers on energy demand.
Varying demands between day and night can force utilities to build additional generators or purchase more power from other utility companies. VPPs could address this fluctuation by quickly sending more energy to where it is needed most, with a central control system controlling the flow of energy accordingly. Responses are automated via distributed energy resources (DER)which leverage renewable energy (e.g. rooftop solar PV) and battery backup power systems to distribute power independently to different areas as needed.
Some public services and companies such as Green Mountain Energy (GMP) in Vermont and Solar power have announced their intention to launch their own VPPs. GMP has already launched its VPPs in 2022 and Solar power also launched its VPPs at the end of 2021. The GE (general electric) The pilot program to increase resilience in Puerto Rico is also another example of a VPP being developed in 2022.
![How VPPs can benefit customers and the environment while making the grid resilient](https://i0.wp.com/pswordpress-production.s3.amazonaws.com/2023/01/How-VPPs-can-benefit-customers-and-the-environment-while-making-the-grid-resilient.png?resize=828%2C466&ssl=1)
![How VPPs can benefit customers and the environment while making the grid resilient](https://i0.wp.com/pswordpress-production.s3.amazonaws.com/2023/01/How-VPPs-can-benefit-customers-and-the-environment-while-making-the-grid-resilient.png?resize=828%2C466&ssl=1)
Upcoming initiatives and projects to improve the resilience of the electricity network:
To cope with the increase in power outages caused by the increase in natural disasters caused by climate change, the Biden administration announced a $13 billion grant to modernize and improve the resiliency of the U.S. power grid. The grant will likely be open for applications until February 2023, providing the ideal opportunity to implement improvements and upgrades, particularly in the most vulnerable areas.
GE is one of the biggest companies taking advantage of this opportunity. the company is launching its pilot project to make Puerto Rico's grid more resilient and avoid longer outages that could be caused by future natural disasters. The project involves the use of a combination of the mentioned technologies such as battery systems combined with renewable energy generators and advanced meters, as well as an automated power restoration system that would restore power electricity sooner after a grid outage due to a natural disaster.
The automated power restoration system would rely on sensors that collect data on outages shortly after a natural disaster. The system can determine the best course of action to restore power based on the collected data.
Conclusion:
In summary, it has become clear in the 21st century that the electricity grid must be reliable and resilient in the face of natural disasters and cyberattacks caused by climate change. Resilience is the ability to resume activities soon after a disruption. Some of the most important technologies currently in use include improving meters with smart devices, renewable energy (primarily solar and wind power) combined with lithium-ion as energy storage, and renewable energy. Other technologies currently being explored to increase network resilience include VPP and “HARMONIE-SPS”.
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